Product Design Specification - PDS

The Product Design Specification (PDS) is a very important document in the design process as it contains all the information necessary for a design team to successfully produce a solution to the design problem.

Usually divided into smaller categories to make it easier to consider the problem.

e.g.

1 Aesthetics1.1. Style…

2. Safety2.1…

Categories created depends on what kind of specification is begin written. I.e. a technical specification will not focus too much on Aesthetics etc. but more on performance and components etc.

There are various kinds of Specifications depending on the focus of expertise.

“The Specification is a statement of the characteristics that a design must possess in order to be a solution to the human need.” (Norman et al 2000)

“A specification is essentially a means of communicating the needs or intentions of one party to another. It may be a user’s description, to a designer, of his requirements for purpose or duty; or it may be a designer's description, to a manufacturer's detailed description, to his operator, of the components, materials, methods, etc., necessary to achieve that embodiment; or it may be a statement, by a seller, describing suitability for a purpose to satisfy a need or even a potential need, of a user or a possible user. It may, of course, be some or all of these in one.”

Guide to the Preparation of Specifications produced by the British Standards Institution in 1967.

Technical SpecificationPDSBrief Performance Specification Marketing Specification

Various kinds of specifications:

•User’s description to a designer - also knows as the Brief

•Designer’s description to a manufacturer – product design specification

•Manufacturer’s technical description to a purchaser – product specification

•Some / all of the above

2005 Higher Product Design

Example – Product Specification

1. Two CD storage units are shown.

The storage units:

• Are manufactured by different companies;

• Conform to health and safety standards;

• Are marketed and priced differently.

a) Outline a product specification for one of these CD storage units. (6)

This question appears in Section A of the exam paper and is usually the first question (to ease you into the exam) therefore, this should not be difficult.

Always read what is annotated next to the products given – this should help with your product specification.

Answer:

The storage unit must:

•Hold up to 100 CD’s

•Be stable

•Manufactured from durable materials

•Allow easy access to CD’s

•Display CD titles

•Store the CD’s in a compact, organised, secure manner

•Aesthetics to suit the market niche

•Any other suitable statement, e.g. hand size – ergonomics to suit

Six statements @ 1 mark each

No sharp corners = 0 marks